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World EPA Congress 2026: key market access themes from Amsterdam
At the World EPA Congress 2026 in Amsterdam, Cencora experts and industry leaders explored how today’s policy and pricing shifts are reshaping market access across Europe and beyond. This interview series brings together perspectives on the European Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation and joint clinical assessment (JCA) readiness, evidence generation that is fit for purpose, and the practical barriers that still slow patient access—from diagnostics reimbursement to orphan medicines and international reference pricing.
Patient experience dossiers: strengthening the patient voice in value assessment
Casper Paardekooper, VP, Head of Pricing, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement, Europe, Cencora, speaks with Yvette Venable, Global Director of Payer Partnerships and Policy, AstraZeneca, about using patient experience dossiers to make patient evidence more actionable in HTA and other value assessments.
Watch the interview to discover how a standardised approach to consolidating existing insights across the patient journey, daily-life burden and treatment experience can clarify evidence gaps and support more patient-relevant definitions of value and “failure recognition”—shaping stronger evidence generation and access strategies.
Watch the interview to discover how a standardised approach to consolidating existing insights across the patient journey, daily-life burden and treatment experience can clarify evidence gaps and support more patient-relevant definitions of value and “failure recognition”—shaping stronger evidence generation and access strategies.
Germany at a crossroads: Preserving innovation in a changing access landscape
Dierk Neugebauer, Vice President, Market Access and Government Affairs, Germany, at Bristol Myers Squibb, discusses how the EU Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA) could transform market access across Europe and what it means for Germany’s healthcare ecosystem. While he describes the new framework as a major step toward greater alignment and predictability, Neugebauer also highlights the uncertainty facing manufacturers as national HTA bodies define how JCA outcomes will be applied in practice. Drawing on Germany’s experience with AMNOG and early patient access, he explores the opportunities and challenges of balancing European harmonization with national decision-making. The interview covers the future of evidence assessment, pricing and reimbursement, Germany’s competitive position in attracting pharmaceutical investment, and the policy changes needed to sustain innovation. Neugebauer argues that reducing duplication, recognizing the value of innovation, and maintaining rapid patient access will be critical if Germany is to strengthen its role as a leading launch and R&D market in Europe.
EU pharmaceutical policy in focus: what the GPL, Critical Medicines Act and Biotech Act could mean for competitiveness
In this interview, Alexander Natz, Secretary General at EUCOPE unpacks three major EU policy initiatives reshaping the pharma and biotech landscape: the General Pharmaceutical Legislation (GPL), the Critical Medicines Act and the Biotech Act. Natz explores how proposed changes to incentives and launch obligations under the GPL could influence investment and access, while the Critical Medicines Act seeks to strengthen supply resilience, raising important questions about predictability, medicine lists and joint procurement. He also discusses why boosting Europe’s clinical trial competitiveness is central to the Biotech Act, and why faster, clearer implementation will be key to keeping Europe attractive for innovation. Watch the interview to understand what these reforms could mean for access, investment, and Europe’s future as a global innovation hub.
IRP explained: why international reference pricing is back in the spotlight
International reference pricing (IRP) is back under scrutiny, raising questions about predictability and spillover effects. In this discussion, Casper Paardekooper, VP, Head of Pricing, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement, Europe, Cencora, and David Ringger, Director, Global Market Access & Pricing, Cencora, examine how IRP works, why it is back in focus amid renewed debate on “most-favored-nation” (MFN) policies, and why it is far more complex in practice than it appears on paper. Ringger unpacks how country-specific rules, list-versus-net assumptions, and ongoing re-referencing already create uncertainty, and how adding US MFN policies into the mix could further amplify volatility and ripple across global pricing systems.
Integrated evidence generation: bringing country needs in early—and keeping evidence fit for purpose
In this interview, Casper Paardekooper, VP, Head of Pricing, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement, Europe, Cencora, and Sophie Janssens, Global Head of Patient Impact Maximisation, UCB, explore how to make evidence generation more joined-up and more meaningful for regulators, payers and clinicians.
Janssens shares how UCB brings country-specific needs in early to shape a single, fit-for-purpose evidence package, including readiness for EU joint clinical assessments, with a focus on what truly matters and strong cross-functional execution at local level. Watch now to learn how a more integrated approach to evidence can support better decision-making, smoother assessments, and improved patient impact.
Janssens shares how UCB brings country-specific needs in early to shape a single, fit-for-purpose evidence package, including readiness for EU joint clinical assessments, with a focus on what truly matters and strong cross-functional execution at local level. Watch now to learn how a more integrated approach to evidence can support better decision-making, smoother assessments, and improved patient impact.
Accelerating access to comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP): why reimbursement reform can’t wait
In this interview, Herbert Altmann, Vice President, Market Access & Healthcare Consulting, Europe, Cencora, speaks with Matias Olsen, Senior Manager of Public Affairs and Policy, EUCOPE, about accelerating patient access across Europe to comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP), an advanced next-generation sequencing tumour testing approach that identifies cancer-driving mutations and informs access to targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and clinical trials. Olsen explains how the European Coalition for Genomic Profiling is bringing stakeholders together to tackle a major barrier: slow, uneven reimbursement and fragmented diagnostic pathways. Watch now to learn why clearer timelines, aligned funding expectations, and coordinated action are essential to making personalised medicine a reality for more patients.
The views and opinions expressed in this discussion represent the views and opinions of the participants and does not constitute legal advice.
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